Authorities Hunt Illegal Polar Sailors

On explorer's first trip, ship sank

On Wednesday, New Zealand authorities began searching for a Norwegion explorer believed to be making a second illegal voyage to Antarctica, a year after his first journey ended in the deaths of three of his crewmates. The foreign ministry says it has deployed a customs vessel and small aircraft to hunt for explorer Jarle Andhoy's sailing yacht Nilaya, which is not allowed leave New Zealand for Antarctica without customs clearance or the proper permits. In February 2011, Andhoy led a five-man expedition to sail to Antarctica and follow Roald Amundsen's route on four-wheel-drive quad bikes. When the team's vessel, the Berserk, sank in a storm in McMurdo Sound, killing three of the five men, Norway fined Andhoy $4,000 for traveling without permits or insurance. The self-proclaimed "Viking" sailor told a newspaper that he would have to return to Antarctica to complete the expedition and find out what happened to his teammates. Andhoy is believed to be sailing with 19-year-old Samuel Massie, the only other survivor of the previous expedition.